Collaborating on the development of marine transportation of liquid Hydrogen
Woodside Energy, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, and Hyundai Glovis welcome Mitsui O.S.K Lines to the collaboration of shipping solutions for liquified hydrogen.
Woodside Energy (Woodside), HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), a global shipbuilding company, and Hyundai Glovis, a global logistics and distribution company have entered into a new non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), one of the largest global shipping companies. Under the MOU, MOL will join Woodside, HD KSOE, and Hyundai Glovis in a collaboration to study the development of an integrated marine transportation system for liquid hydrogen (LH₂).
The companies will now focus their efforts on developing new liquid hydrogen business opportunities in Asia and other regions with an ~80 000m³ liquid hydrogen shipping solution. The collaboration will include key technology qualification, safety, constructability, and operability studies with the potential to ensure safe, flexible, and efficient shipping of LH₂ by a target date of 2030.
“This project is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the liquid hydrogen value chain. The collaboration will enable us to work cooperatively with our partners in Japan and Korea with a shared ambition to pursue lower carbon[1] solutions in a new and integrated supply chain,” said Shaun Gregory, Executive Vice President of New Energy.
Mr. Gregory added, “We welcome the opportunity to include MOL with our other collaborators HD KSOE and Hyundai Glovis to progress work to assist in a successful energy transition. The investment from all parties into this shipping solution is a step forward in accelerating a pathway for the transport of liquid hydrogen.
Mr. Nobuo Shiotsu, MOL Senior Management Executive Officer, Responsible for East Asia, South East Asia and the Oceania Area said, “We are very pleased to have the opportunity to work with such great partners – Woodside, KSOE, and Hyundai Glovis, and believe that liquefied hydrogen transport will become increasingly important in the future as we move towards a lower carbon society. We would like to contribute to this study with our extensive knowledge of shipping.”
“HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering is tasked with the development of a reliable and cost-effective LH2 carrier design. However, realising this ambition requires more than individual effort; it necessitates the collective efforts of all stakeholders within the liquid hydrogen shipping supply chain. We are committed to continually contributing to the construction of the LH2 value chain through our ongoing efforts and collaboration,” said Dr. Kwangpil Chang, HD KSOE Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer.
Mr. Tae-Woo Kim, Hyundai Glovis Senior Vice President, Head of Shipping Business Division said, “We are excited that MOL has joined our partnership for the hydrogen economy as it is very important for establishing a flexible and diverse hydrogen supply chain. We continually provide solutions for establishing an optimised hydrogen supply chain and coordinating the quick dispatch plans for liquid hydrogen carriers.”
MOL’s entry into the collaboration follows the successful completion by Woodside, HD KSOE, and Hyundai Glovis of a detailed study into the design of a large-scale, purpose-built liquid hydrogen carrier. The study, which builds on previous work completed through the collaboration, focused on refining the flexible ship design. In addition to identifying ship design improvements, the study also included a systems-level analysis of the overall liquid hydrogen supply chain, assessing the impacts associated with ship operating activities such as dry docking.
The findings of the study may have a significant impact on the development of a flexible and cost-effective large-scale liquid hydrogen shipping supply chain, which has the potential to help our customers secure their energy needs whilst they seek to reduce their own emissions.
“Through our constructive collaboration, we better understand how these novel supply chains will operate, including intermittent activities such as dry docking,” said Adrian MacMillan, Head of New Energy Shipping.
MacMillan added, “Woodside, HD KSOE and Hyundai Glovis are studying the creation of a flexible shipping concept to meet customer demand and specifications. MOL’s extensive shipping experience is intended to further strengthen our ability to mature the technology and refine our value chain solutions.”
“The results of our study have improved our understanding of the technology and we look forward to building on this work in future phases. We are committed to continued contribution in realising an LH2 hydrogen value chain," said Dr. Byeongyong Yoo, HD KSOE Vice President of the Green Energy Technology Lab.
"We plan to play an important role as a global shipping company in the era of the energy transition, and that through collaboration with Woodside, HD KSOE, and MOL we will demonstrate global competitiveness in safety and sustainability in lower carbon shipping,” added Chi-O Kwon, Hyundai Glovis Head of Shipping Business Strategy Group.
[1] Woodside uses this term to describe the characteristic of having lower levels of associated potential GHG emissions when compared to historical and/or current conventions or analogues, for example relating to an otherwise similar resource, process, production facility, product or service, or activity.
